By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
Ellsinore, MO – Residents in southeast Missouri are protesting a plan to shut down several old roads in the Mark Twain National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service has received more than 2,000 complaints about the closures, said Poplar Bluff District Ranger Doug Oliver. They are part of a 2005 management plan designed to reduce illegal dumping, drug production, and other unwanted activities in the massive forest.
An Ellsinore resident, Tim Stucker, spearheaded efforts to send form letters protesting the closures to U.S. Rep. JoAnn Emerson.
"This is our land and these are roads we've used," Stucker said. "They are discriminating against us."
Emerson said she has met with the Forest Service about the closures, and wants residents of the area to be involved in any discussions about access to the forest.
The closures are not of main roads in and out of the forest, Oliver said. The routes are mostly old logging roads which were never legally open to vehicular traffic.